“At Home with Country Quilts” features 13 new patterns I’ve designed. My first book, “Country Comforts” also published by Martingale, sold very well and was such a fun experience, that I wanted to do it again.
Some of the props used in the pictures are
my own so the book feels very personal.
My patterns typically use rich, warm country colours and aren’t terribly
fussy or complicated to make.
As I mention in the introduction to the
book, I didn’t care much for sewing in high school so if anyone had told me
back then that quilting would be my career choice, I’d never have believed
them! I made my first quilt in the
mid-1980s, (before the invention of the rotary cutter—back in the stone age!) and made another one a year or two
later. It took awhile for the passion and
self-confidence to take hold. The first
quilts I made used templates and I stuck very close to the colours used in the
patterns I bought. Eventually I learned
to trust my instincts in choosing fabrics and altering patterns to suit my
personal taste. It wasn’t until the late
1990s that a sister encouraged me to try designing a pattern myself, which I
did. At the time, I was working as an
administrative assistant but wasn’t terribly happy in my job so I began to
think about starting a pattern business, allowing me to quilt full-time and be
my own boss. In 2003, I quit my day job
and started “Country Quilts”.
Since starting my business, I’ve designed
over 100 patterns, including a few BOMs.
My first BOM, “House Sampler” was published in 2003 and continues to be
one of my best sellers.
In addition to the two books published by
Martingale, I wrote a book called “Welcome Home” published by Kansas City Star
in 2011. The main project is similar to
my “House Sampler” BOM in that it’s made up of several sections. I also self-published four pattern books and
have had patterns published in several magazines, including McCall’s Quilting, Quick
Quilts, Quiltmania, Quilters’ Connection, Canadian Quilter, Create and Decorate
and Les Editions des Saxe (in France).
You can see all my patterns on my website, www.countryquilts.ca.
I also have a blog, www.cheryl-countryquilts.blogspot.ca,
where I share photos of shows I attend, tutorials and free patterns, and other
events in my life. As soon as my book is
released on June 12, I’ll be having a giveaway on my blog—so if you’d like a
chance to win a copy, sign up as a follower and keep watching for updates!
Do you teach and/or lecture as well as
write?
I’m a terrified public speaker so I much
prefer to design and make quilts. But, I
have taught beginning quilting in my home to a few people at a time and have
done some trunk shows for local guilds and book signings where I can talk with
quilters one on one. Much less scary for
me!
How can quilters find out more about you?
Newsletters, contests, special offers for
my readers etc. the interview and pictures will be posted to my blog which is
linked to Facebook but will also be featured in my newsletter
1 comment:
This book looks amazing!! Thanks for sharing the interview with us!!
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